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In our oceans and lakes there are nearly 150 areas in which oxygen has been so depleted that marine life cannot survive. These "dead zones," often strewn with corpses and skeletons, are largely a result of fertilization runoff. Every summer, chemicals like nitrogen and phosphorus drain from farms into rivers and eventually into lakes and seas. There, they ignite a population explosion of phytoplankton known as algal blooms. With this explosive growth also comes decay. The rotting material encourages a frenzy of bacterial growth. The bacteria suck the surrounding waters dry of oxygen and can even leave the water toxic. Remaining marine life is left with two options: flee or perish.

The largest dead zone is an underwater wasteland in the Gulf of Mexico. Scientists predict that this summer the area will cover more than 10,000 square miles (roughly the size of Massachusetts), marking the largest recorded dead zone in history. Experts suspect the increase will be based on changes in wind, current, and rainfall patterns, possible effects of Global Warming. Record-sized crop plantings are also fueling the problem. Corn farming, drastically expanded from subsidies for ethanol production, is particularly harmful. The shallow roots of the corn plant leak more fertilizer than other crops. To make matters worse, recent Mississippi River flooding will cause even more agricultural runoff this summer.

With such a forecast, we may all be in need of a breath of fresh air.

• Ocean E-Cards
• Gulf of Mexico Dead Zone Biggest Yet
• An Ethanol Future?